On Wednesday, May 29, 2024, the New Castle County Division of Police arrested 18-year-old Christian Broaddus of Wilmington (pictured below) and a 17-year-old male, also from Wilmington, following a vehicle pursuit involving a stolen car.
During a proactive patrol, Officers from the New Castle County Safe Streets Task Force observed a white Ford Escape committing a traffic violation on Old Baltimore Pike. Officials said upon discovering that the vehicle had been reported stolen from Smyrna, on May 5th, officers initiated a traffic stop.
The vehicle began driving erratically, striking two parked cars in the area according to police. The pursuit concluded when the stolen car collided with a tree in the Cedar Farms neighborhood as the driver attempted to evade multiple marked police cars. Both the driver, Christian Broaddus, and the 17-year-old passenger attempted to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended by assisting officers according to police. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a loaded 9mm handgun.
A resident of Cedar Farms provided an account of the incident from her daughter’s perspective. The woman said “The suspects drove into our court in Cedar Farms just as my daughter was pulling up to my house,” she recounted. “They tried to get past the police, sideswiping her and her husband’s car in the process. My daughter, who is pregnant, was checked out at Christiana Hospital and released. Both she and the baby are fine.”
A video of the incident, which was posted online, captures the dramatic moments of the pursuit. In the footage, the fleeing vehicle can be seen narrowly missing the person who was recording the event.
The police did not mention in their press release that the 17-year-old suspect was transported to the hospital following the incident. According to eyewitnesses and radio reports, after the collision with the tree, Trooper 4, tracking the chase from the air, landed at the scene to provide medical care. The Trooper medic along with the EMTs transported the patient by ground. It’s not clear if Broaddus was also taken to the hospital.
Broaddus was transported to New Castle County Police headquarters and charged with multiple crimes, including felony possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, felony reckless endangerment, receiving stolen property, disregarding a police officer’s signal, and several misdemeanors related to the pursuit. He was arraigned at the Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Howard Young Correctional Institution after failing to pay $31,500 cash bail.
The 17-year-old male was charged with one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. He was arraigned at the Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Juvenile Detention Center after failing to pay $1,000 secured bail.